H J Tompkins
HJ Tompkins is to New South Wales as Robert Henderson Croll is to Victoria in terms of pioneering bushwalking and writing.
Published in 1906, ” With Swag & Billy” was Australia’s very first bushwalking (hiking) manual and guidebook.
Packed with hints on equipment, provisions and hiking tips borne from long experience tramping in heavy leather boots, ” With Swag and Billy ” also includes dozens of detailed bushwalking routes throughout New South Wales, from half-day outings to 10-day epics. Interestingly, a few of these routes could still be walked today, over one hundred and ten years after the publication of the books, thanks to tracks which had later become busy roads now being bypassed by major freeways and becoming quiet once more.
The book provides a rare look at an iconic Australian pastime while it was still in its infancy and it is an invaluable reference for those hardy men and women who today, in the 21st Century, choose to bushwalk with a canvas knapsack or a swag and nose bag in the fashion described in ” With Swag and Billy ” more than 100 years ago.
AN EARLY START.
To start early is absolutely necessary. By this means the annoyance of a tedious wait for breakfast is avoided, and however confident the overnight promises may be, it is seldom ready at the appointed hour. Besides, the luxury of walking through the crisp, sweet morning air, with everything around waking into life, is missed. It is possible to cut out some 4 or 5 miles before breakfast. One resumes as fresh as at the start, and by midday such progress has been made that a few hours’ rest may be indulged in.
The book is available on Project Gutenberg to read online. With Swag and Billy
